Adrenaline
by TheLupineRebel
Summary: Cherry Blossom of my Heart sequel:Konoha is in turmoil, their village under attack and an enemy has stumbled back into their midst, an enemy straight out of Sakura's past. A story of redemption, and pain and how to muster the power to overcome. KakaSaku
1. Of Scarecrows and Cherry Blsssoms

-1_**Warnings: Meh I rated it 'M' for some sexy content, some swearing and a little violence…don't like it then basically don't read it but…enjoy it!**_

_**This is the sequel to Cherryblossom of my Heart so if you get confused you can only blame yourself for not reading that first! Well I hope you guys like it!**_

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Springtime in Konoha was always a sight to behold. Mostly because of the famous cherry blossom trees that burst forth into bloom every season, sending delicate pink blossoms drifting gently throughout the renound shinobi village. Hatake Kakashi hated that the most. The damned flowers would always catch in his stubbornly upright silver hair and refused to remove themselves unless picked out one by one. Too bad for him tonight he was required by the Hokage herself to attend the Cherry Blossom festival that evening…there would be a dance and the works. Exactly why he didn't want to go. Socializing was not the Copy Ninja's forte.

Presently he stood on a secluded street corner watching the joyous people pass by in the lit streets, enjoying the crisp cool of the night. His hair was spiky and unruly as always mask in place but instead of his usual jounin getup he wore a baggy black shirt and a clean, unwrinkled pair of black slacks. Currently his left hand was stuffed into one pocket while the other held a copy of Icha Icha Paradise aloft although it was far to dark to read.

Civilians and shinobi alike roamed the streets enjoying this one chance to goof off and not have to worry about life at all. Quite suddenly slender yet strong arms wrapped around his neck from behind and legs wrapped around his waist for support . He froze as he heard a sweetly familiar voice whisper: "You can't be an antisocial roach forever Kakashi." The famed Copy Ninja's heart beat faster as the young woman's chin rested on his shoulder. "Sakura people could see…"

The girl laughed and she let herself down to walk in front of him. "With you lurking in the dark like this it would take X-Ray vision!"

She looked absolutely amazing. A pink silk dress adorned with red cherry blossoms rested lightly on her slim form, the hem reaching a dangerous two inches above her knees, the top open a bit to tantalize him. Her beautiful pink locks hung free down her back, he was happy she had let it grow out again. Her jade green eyes sparkled with mischief as they looked into his one soft grey one. He bit back the desire to reach out and wrap a protective arm around her dainty shoulders. "Sakura….you looks so beautiful."

She blushed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I got all dressed up…all for you." Now it was his turn to blush. "Well come on let's go find Naruto." The girl wrapped her hand around his and tugged the reluctant man out from his hiding place, delving into the swirling crowds. He looked at her from behind, for she was ahead of his, still pulling him along. Her pink locks danced back and forth mesmerizing him. She was a true cherry blossom in bloom…

One week. Precisely one week since that night…one week since she told him she loved him…since he declared their affair a secret…since he hadn't said 'I love you' back to her even though he did. He loved her more than even she could imagine.

"Oh my heavens above, is that _Kakashi?!_" exclaimed a painfully familiar voice. To Kakashi's horror Sakura stopped in the midst of the crowd and food stands and moved over to the side of traffic to greet none other than…

"Oh hello Genma enjoying the festival?" she asked politely. The brown haired senbon master stood next to a game booth one arm around a very busty brunette the other supporting him against a telephone pole. Kakashi eyed him with subtle distaste, even when he was with a woman who had boobs the size of most people's heads he still eyed up Sakura like a piece of candy. The cocky bastard flicked the senbon between his teeth with a grin and tightened his grip on the woman. "Yeah, sure am." The brunette beside him giggled. "And you?" She smiled slightly and Kakashi could see her trying to hide a grimace. "Oh I'm having a great time, I was just dragging him out of hiding to find Naruto have you seen him?" Genma raised an eyebrow and glanced at a still silent Kakashi. "Uh no, but if you don't find him you could always come back to see me---" Almost instantaneously Kakashi slung a possessive arm around Sakura's shoulders and turned to the flirtatious shinobi. "Thanks for the offer Genma but I think I just saw Naruto over there."

He steered Sakura away from Genma and back into the crowd. She was the perfect height to rest her head against the crook of his shoulder, and he was enjoying the feeling of having her this close and not caring who saw…she sighed and fell into step with him he knew she was enjoying this moment as much as he was. Suddenly she looked up and silently grabbed his hand dragging him diagonally across the street to Ichiraku's Ramen shop. As predicted there sat Naruto, slurping a celebratory bowl of noodles a certain raven haired kunoichi at his side. Apparently things with Kiba hadn't gone well with the Byakugan heiress. "Hinata-chan how are you?" asked a delighted Sakura. Hinata looked up from daintily eating her own bowl of ramen and grinned at Sakura. She was looking quite ravishing in a light lavender kimono lightly decorated with orchids. Naruto stopped slurping and looked up with electric blue eyes at Kakashi and Sakura.

"Sakura-chan you look great! And Kakashi…wow I can't believe you actually came!" the happy blonde leaped off his stool followed by Hinata and he put an arm around her. Sakura looked at them with mingled jealously and happiness. They were so lucky to be able to love each other openly, and without fear of legal and social judgment. She breathed in Kakashi's addicting scent and fought the urge to lean closer to him. No telling what Naruto would say, or do for that matter.

"So Sakura still dateless this year? Or did--" He looked suspiciously at Kakashi but the silver haired man waved a casual hand. "No Naruto, what are you thinking?"

Sakura laughed nervously and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Yeah Naruto!"

The blond laughed and they chatted about pointless things after that. Hinata mentioned things with the clan were going good so far and she was due to ascend to leader of the Hyuuga clan after the New Year. Naruto was absolutely ecstatic about finally having Hinata as his and only his. The young raven-haired woman blushed ant Naruto's attention and eventually they left, laughing and holding hands.

Kakashi looked down at the pink-haired woman at his side. She was smiling slightly. "I really am happy for them…"

Kakashi's lips tugged into at smile. "I think someone needs a drink." She looked up at him, her lustrous eyes melting his soul. "But…people would talk…" He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What's so suspicious about an ex-sensei buying a former student a drink?"

"Oh my god Sakura! How is it that you don't have a boyfriend?" Both Kakashi and Sakura turned to see none other than Ino standing there, blonde hair pinned up, overly tight blue dress and wearing a devilish smirk that read 'setup'. Kakashi saw Sakura smile. "Hey there Ino how have you been?" The blonde grinned and struck an unnecessary pose. "I have been great! You know what? Let's go get a drink!"

Sakura blinked in surprise. "Uhh…" Kakashi smiled. "Go on Sakura-chan you don't need to baby sit an old man like me."

"Your not old." she snapped immediately. He chuckled and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I'll see you tonight my little cherry blossom, have fun." Without another word he let her be dragged away by Ino.

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"C'mon Sakura spill! Who's your sugar daddy?"

Said pink haired beauty was sitting across from Ino looking and feeling very uncomfortable. "Really Ino-Pig there is no one special in my life right now!" The blonde woman scoffed and ordered two shots of sake. Sakura tugged at the hem of her dress, very aware that half of the people in this bar consisted of bold young men eyeing up every pretty young thing walking in the door. Well that was basically the reason most men came to the Festival, to ogle all the girls who had gotten prettied up. Ino of course didn't seem to care about the staring, in fact she swung sideways in her chair and crossed her long slender legs, showing off the smooth skin. Sakura eyed them with distaste. "Do you have to do that? "

She smirked and trailed a finger up her leg. "If I want some company tonight."

There was a pause and their sake came. Ino downed hers and looked over at the pink haired beauty sitting opposite to her. "We need to get you a boyfriend." Sakura's eyes bugged and she spat out some of the alcohol. "N-no I'm quite happy to be just single right now!"

"Oh please, Naruto has Hinata, I have Shikamaru when he's not being a dickwad, hell I think even your sensei has a special girl! You can't tell me your not even a bit let down that you don't have a hand to hold walking down the street!"

She struck a nerve there. Sakura slammed down her cup onto the table and it shattered into fine glass fragments. "Why don't you worry about yourself for once Ino?" With that the furious blossom stalked out the door, breaking one brave mans arm as he reached out to test his luck leaving a very confused blonde girl alone in the bar.

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The night grew colder and the people celebrating the coming spring dispersed slightly as Sakura walked toward her apartment. It was true she was bitter and resentful of the fact that she and Kakashi couldn't show their affection openly. It ate away at her nerves that she couldn't kiss him whenever she wanted, or hold his hand on impulse. The consequences hung over them like a storm cloud. Even though she was 22 and legal the age difference, and the fact that Kakashi was her ex-sensei would be practically criminal in Konoha's eyes. Most of their fellow shinobi would probably try to understand but…she shuddered to think what Tsunade would say…or what Naruto would do to Kakashi if they were found out.

Sighing she opened the door and climbed the stairs to #9, her fingers fumbling with the keys. Finally she got the right one and the door opened revealing a messy living room covered in debris, old papers dirty clothes, and some shuriken and kunai that needed sharpening. She sighed again at the mess and slid off her shoes.

"Ow! Son of a…"

Hearing that oh so familiar voice Sakura flicked on the light switch and saw a misshapen Kakashi leaning against the doorframe of her kitchen, holding his ankle in one hand, a kunai sticking out of his foot. Despite herself she laughed, he just looked too comical. He was still wearing the same clothes from the festival , except for his shoes, and shirt. He glowered at her as she conveyed her amusement and said pointedly, "You know you really shouldn't leave these lying around."

Sakura laughed again and pulled him over to sit next to her on the couch. Ignoring his pleas she yanked the weapon from his foot and healed the profusely bleeding wound. Finished she snuggled up against him.

He smiled and placed an arm around her, massaging a small spot on her back with his thumb. She sighed and pulled down his mask to kiss him. He returned the gesture happily but the pulled away and looked into her eyes, hitae-ate askew revealing the Sharingan. "Sakura…I want you to know that I love you…and I'm sorry it has to be this way…"

On the verge of tears she kissed him again. "I love you too…more than anyone could ever know…they have no right to judge…but they would."

Sighing Kakashi scooped her up in his arms carried her to her bed. She stripped down to her underwear and snuggled under the covers, he did likewise. The pink haired woman laughed at the sight of his neon orange boxers. "They were on sale!" he said in his own defense. But she paid him no heed and he snuggled in with her, holding her close. They both needed some rest.

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_**Well there was the first chapter of the sequel! Please review and give me some suggestions so I know what my readers want to read! Please and thank you! **_


	2. Echo

-1_**A/N The dividers I used didn't work before. My apologies. Working on fixing right now!**_

"Sakura?" Sakura!"

Sakura blinked back the morning light flooding in her window and raised her head, letting sleep muddle wear off. Beside her Kakashi stirred. "Hn?"

"Sakura!"

Realization hit like a whip kick to the side, she leapt up, searching for any sort of cover as Kakashi did the same in much greater efficiency. "See you later Sakura." He murmured, tying on his hitae-ate and sliding out her open window. How had he gotten dressed that fast? Deciding to dwell on it later she settled for a T-shirt and ran to answer the door before Naruto broke it down. On her salary a new one wasn't in the budget.

She yanked open the door to find a wild-eyed blonde, fist raised to continue pounding on her door. "Sakura you sleep like a damned rock, come on!" Not noticing her state he grabbed her wrist and yanked her out the door.

"Uzamaki!" She snapped, fighting not to shriek his name. He looked back at her, snapped out of his craze by the use of his surname. Only then did he see she was in only a t-shirt and some panties. Under her glare he blushed to the roots of his hair. "Um maybe you should change first. And tell whoever's in there goodbye." He muttered, looking down and releasing her hand.

She blinked, momentarily distracted. How had he known? Racing back into her apartment, ignoring the pounding of her heart, she lifted the shirt over her head and examined it. Kakashi's. Gulping she threw it into the laundry pile and yanked on a mesh shirt over her bra. I have to be more careful, she thought as she pulled on pants and another shirt. She may as well have tattooed on her forehead she'd had a man over. Maybe she could pass it off as a one night thing…Or maybe it wouldn't be important at all next to what was apparently going down.

Finally she strapped on her sandals and weapon's belt and bolted out the door. "What's going on Naruto?" She demanded as she followed his careening pace down the stairs. "A report came in from the border, they spotted a strange nin. He…well I don't even know what happened yet but they were completely destroyed."

"The watchman? Who…?"

He stopped briefly to open the door, not looking back at her. "One of them was Genma."

She stopped too, blinking as if someone had slapped her. Finally Naruto had to pull her through the door to get her running again. It wasn't like she'd known Genma that well, or even talked to him besides his flirting and her blowing him off, but his sudden death shocked her. What if they had been closer? What if she'd given in to his promiscuity? What if? But she couldn't dwell on that now. What she had to think of was his killer. They took to the roofs and Sakura honed in on the Hokage tower. She could read the chakra signatures, and it was a hive of activity. Tsunade must have summoned nearly all of her shinobi for this. She and Naruto approached the building before an alarm began to sound. The shin obi stopped in their tracks, throwing each other identical looks of horror. The Alarm. All civilians pack necessities only and head immediately for the underground complex built for crisis situations. All nin to the base of the mountain.

Naruto swore ferociously and edited their course, Sakura hot on his heels. Her mind was reeling, her thoughts jumping from Tsunade to Naruto, then Kakashi, even her dead parents. She remembered the agony of knowing she would never see her mom's smiling brown eyes again, or hear her dad joke over the Sunday paper. It had almost been too much to bear. She would not let that happen to any of her fellow villagers. Gritting her teeth she picked up the pace, passing Naruto by a few steps. Around them, their fellow soldiers flitted through the streets like a hoard of ghosts, feet barely touching the ground. Sakura saw the faces of jounin she knew, Asuma, Gai, and others, their faces like stone, the chunin looked scared, but some even looked eager, and then, heart-rending the genin. Barely kids, faces pale with fright, trying to keep up with the others around them. She swallowed the dry lump in her throat and focused on reaching the mountain.

Tsunade was already there, Shizune beside her, looking dead on her feet. Literally. Sakura almost went over to her, she looked so bad. She had never seen her friend so…hollow.

Tsunade appraised her force with knowing tawny eyes and watched them as they stood, tense before her. Her people. Their lives in her hands. Lives she was forced to be careless with. How she hated it. "My warriors. There is death on someone's hands." she started, wincing at the sound of Shizune's muffled sob. "Genma Shiranui, and his patrol partner Urai Yazuma were slain. Their bodies have just been delivered to my doorstep not an hour ago. I was almost unable to identify them…I do not know what caused this…who caused this, but they are a threat to the Hidden Leaf Village, and all of the Fire country. They have used justsu that was unidentifiable and their chakra was off the charts. After our successful destruction of the Sound Village, I have only a few suspects which I will not disclose here. All of you start patrolling the city, while I call you by tem to my office. Some will be sent to the border where we will keep a tighter watch, and some of you will be messengers. Her eyes fell on the genin and her heart sank. How many of them would they lose? How could they afford to spare them? Sakura saw her struggle and recognized it, her own chest squeezing in almost pain. They were too young and everyone knew it. Tsunade wasn't saying much but what she was saying was that their entire village was at stake, the villager's lives in their hands. Whatever this was, it was a great threat and if Tsunade could not spare even the genin then it was worse than anyone could have dreamed. The pink haired kunoichi's mind traveled back to Kakashi. His team had gotten caught in the midst of a war, all of their generation did. Kakashi had lost his whole team in such a short span and left with nothing but scar tissue and his best friend's Sharingan. Was that what was before them now?

"Will the genin please report to the Sanctuary doors? I will meet with you there. The rest of you, fall out and roam the streets. Asuma, Kakashi, you discern who's to go on the outside patrol for now, I trust your judgment. Come on Shizune…" She wrapped her arm around the raven haired girl's shoulder and guided her away. Despite Shizune's detached and jerky gate, Tsunade tried to keep the pace quick and efficient. Her shinobi watched her leave, and all of them immediately looked to Hatake Kakashi and Sarutobi Asuma who stood next to each other, giving one another knowing looks. Each knew bad shit going down, for they were seasoned by years of war in their youngest years, but neither knew exactly what to tell the hundreds of nin before them. Finally Asuma lit a cigarette nervously and took a long draw. "Alright, Yamanaka, Gira, Kiatso and Min, Gather your squads and follow me to the gates. Hatake, you got the rest?"

Kakashi nodded and Asuma took off, twelve nin closely behind him. Sakura tried to catch Ino's eye, but the blonde kunoichi didn't take her eye off of the path set before her. Damn…

"Alright everyone take to the streets, that's what your Hokage ordered. Go by teams of two over all the districts. Sakura, Naruto, I need you two. The rest of you pair off and decide your districts, if there's any left over, join Asuma at the gates. And move damn it, this isn't the time to drag you ass."

Sakura and Naruto jogged over, and were joined by another raven haired woman with ruby eyes. She halted in front of Kakashi and put a firm hand on his shoulder. "Watch yourself Hatake. And let us know what's going. If you can…see about Genma okay? Maybe a burial…" Kakashi's visible eye shadowed over into sadness at the mention of Genma's name. "Of course Kurenai. I'll take care of it." he said. She nodded and took off towards the old Uchiha district. Sakura knew Kakashi an Genma had been friends, but not how close they had been. Her heart went out to the masked man right now and more than anything she wished she could hold his hand, maybe tell him it was okay, that the fighting was over for Genma, but she couldn't. Naruto was staring hard at his former sensei, eyes like blue steel. "What's the plan Kakashi?"

"First we need to find Tsunade, I want to know what's really going on. We'll take it from there."

The trio took off from the mountain, again on course for the Hokage's tower. Sakura looked at Kakashi closely, seeing that his shoulder's were stiff and that he didn't walk with his usual ease. Genma's death may have bothered him more than she could see at the moment. Seeing such a strong person in her life be shaken like this was hard to bear. Summoning up her courage she looked dead at him, managing to catch his eye. "Don't worry Kakashi. We'll find the son of a bitch that did this. We're with you all the way." _I'm with you all the way. _He just nodded while Naruto did the same, confirming Sakura's promise. The copy ninja kept the pace brisk, but his mind was focused elsewhere. Genma was dead and there was a crisis close on the horizon. Whatever had been done to the two shinobi was gruesome message, from Shizune's reaction it had to be. He knew Genma had been involved deeply with her and he also knew the girl was a medic. Not much fazed them, that much he knew from the pink-haired girl jogging beside him. Whatever his old friend had died from had been gruesome, and it wasn't something he deserved. A shinobi died in the line of battle more often than not but it didn't lessen the tragedy when it happened. He could admit to himself that it disturbed him. Sakura knew, and he could sense it, her natural instinct for helping her friends conflicting with the need to keep their relationship secret. He couldn't tell her how greatly he appreciated her concern, but his hand was itching to rub her on the back. She was rattled too. Shizune was her friend and clearly she was upset. Both of them were affected it seemed.

Once at the tower the three were admitted immediately to Tsunade's office. Shizune sat on one side of the room, staring off into space and not really seeing anything around her. Tsunade was busy scribbling out warnings to her allies and attaching them to the multiple hawks sitting perched on her desk. One by one they flew out the open window, finally disappearing over the trees in their respective directions. After watching the last one disappear Tsunade turned her attention to the three standing before her. "I knew you would come here."

"That's why you're the Hokage and I'm not." Kakashi replied, but his one eye was as hard as onyx. "What really happened Tsunade. What are we facing?"

She looked down at her desk, fingers tapping together one by one. "Genma and Urai were brought to me by a man in shinobi gear. He was tall…very tall, hair the color of ocean water and his eyes were black. Straight black. He just came into my office with the bodies, the blood was still fresh on him. They were…" She paused as Shizume ran from the room; Sakura knew she was about to be ill. "They were completely ripped to shreds. Their bodies were barely held together by anything, but their faces I recognized well enough. Shizune tried to attack him but he knocked her out with his bare fist. She almost died too. I waited. He smiled and dropped them on the floor…"

Sakura looked down as if she could still see the blood pooling there but someone had cleaned it up long ago. Kakashi gave her a nudge with his foot and her attention snapped back up to her shishou.

"Then he said 'I am Ira. Remember me because it is I who will be standing in your place before long. Have a pleasant day Gondaime.' And then he just left. I followed to find all of my guards caught in a genjutsu that I have no knowledge of. They all came out of it a few minutes ago, shell shocked and completely traumatized. I don't know what to do…I just locked the entire village down, but I honestly don't think he's coming back. Ira…I have no idea who…well that doesn't matter, what does matter is that we find him. I need you three to do this for me. I…" She stopped again as Shizune re entered the room, her eyes lighting up a bit…with hate. "They will find them." She said simply before reclaiming her seat and putting her head in her hands. Sakura stared, not knowing what to make of her friends behavior. Tsunade walked over to her assistant and placed two fingers at the base of her skull. Shizune slackened and went limp and Tsunade laid her out gently on the ocuch. "She's too shocked to deal with this now. I hadn't realized her and Shiraniu were that deeply involved. But I need you to go on this mission for me. I don't know who the hell this bastard his but he's powerful and knows things we don't. I intend to change that. I will wait for leads from any of the other leaders but I don't even know how to start this…but still, be prepared to leave at any moment. I will contact you soon."

Dismissed, the team left. Sakura stared ahead of her, not really seeing much. Shizune had lost the man she loved. Love that was a secret. No one who knew enough to comfort her, no one who knew enough to be sympathetic. Completely alone in a sea of…nothing. How would she handle it if…no. Stubbornly she pushed the thought away and looked around her. An empty street. Naruto was gone. It was more of an alleyway really, and Sakura wondered how she had ended up here. _Some ninja…_

"Hey"

At the sound of that soft voice that was at the same time like gravel, the tension in her flowed away like water over the back of a river stone. Unsmiling she turned to Kakashi who stood there, one hand in his pocket, staring at her intently. Unable to bear him just staring a hole through her Sakura walked up to him, pushing him back against the wall of someone's home. Her arms wrapped firmly around his waist and she buried her face into the soft material of his jounin vest, breathing in his sweet, doggy smell. He froze, unused to such close contact, to such _warm _contact. After intial shock though he returned her embrace, running a gentle hand through her hair and pulling her close. No words needed to be said, the mutual need to take care of each other for the moment was recognized. For a minute or two they stood there like that, drinking in the support each was willing to give. It had always been like this between them, they were always there to look out for each other, but now it was just…more.

"Do you have any idea who it could be?" She asked pulling back slightly.

He pulled back completely, but grabbed her hand to make up for the loss of contact, and he walked her down to the end of the alley. "No. Ira is not a name I am familiar with."

"Could it be Akatsuki related?" She wondered, enjoying the feel of their fingers lacing together. He wasn't an overly affectionate man so she was glad for this gesture.

"No I think he's working solo, or has followers of his own. This sort of statement isn't made by an organization like Akatsuki. She won't send out just us to track him but we will be the first. After we cover any leads she get's she'll broaden the search. I honestly don't know what to make of it."

She agreed and they stood at the mouth of the alleyway, knowing that his is where they would have to part. Feeling bold she stood on tiptoe and yanked his mask down, kissing him full on the lips. He groaned in surprise as her tongue slid over his lips, parting them successfully. sighing he tilted her head to the side, deepening the kiss briefly before forcing himself away from her warm pliability. It was almost too much…okay that was a lie. It was too much. She gazed up at him. Damn those eyes. Translucent jade and full of worry for him. For him…

"It will be okay Sakura. I have faith in you, in us…in our team. We'll be okay." He assured, her, trying his best to take the shadow out of her eyes. It worked…a little. "I know. But being a ninja has affects on our lives I hardly ever thought of before." She looked to the sky, sensing chakra signatures approaching. "I have to go pack. Will I see you tonight?"

He thought about it then shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I have some things to look into before Tsunade decides to send us out." The breeze ruffled his messy silver hair and she drank in the sight of him. Goofy, careless, handsome, amazing. "Find me soon Hatake." She warned with a small smile. He smiled back, a sight she always enjoyed, even whn his mask was on, and disappeared with a slight puff of smoke that blew away with the wind as two nin sailed over her head. She sighed and headed out of the alley, towards her apartment to prepare for what was to come.

It was dusk in Konoha and the heat and fear had died down considerably. Outside the home of the Hokage things were quiet. Kakashi approached the house carefully, avoiding all of her guards and made it to the front door without incident. He thought about knocking but decided to just walk in. The house was large but the current Hokage kept it simple and welcoming, with warm browns and toned down decorations. Nothing fancy, for Tsunade was a shinobi first Hokage second and a decorator last. The sannin in question sat on her couch, staring blankly at her television and sipping sake straight from the bottle. Her hair was loose from it's usual pigtails, hanging long over her shoulders and pooling in her lap. "Hatake how nice of you to drop in." She said dryly, not looking up from her show, in which shinobi were being used to base a soap opera. The main character began to pour out his undying love to a blonde who was way to soft to be a kunoichi. _Sakura could eat that bitch alive. _He mused as she fluttered her eyelashes and told the main character that she was in love with their squad leader.

"Any particular reason you bypassed my guard and barged into my house or did you just want someone to watch your soaps with?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his stubborn hair and got down to business. "Genma's body, and the Urai boy…they will be having a burial?"

She nodded and took a generous swig of her sake, smaking her lips at the bitterness. "Yes. Closed casket, the day after tomorrow. I've already had their names set into the memorial."

Kakashi leaned back and gazed blankly at the screen while the squad leader kissed the blonde furiously then got into a fistfight with the main character. If only life were so simple, he thought smiling to himself.

"You'll be alright Hokage-sama?" he asked leaning forward.

"Yes Hatake. I called off the patrol's awhile ago and the civilian's are back out. I have a couple chunin's watching the gate like usual. Go to the bar and tell everyone about the burial."

"Any idea when the allies will get back to you?"

"None."

"Enjoy your show Hokage-sama." He muttered before rising and leaving her home, only a bit disappointed she didn't have any news yet. The system only worked so fast.

Sakura walked through the park for no particular reason that night, looking for nothing, aiming for nowhere. Restlessness she supposed. The civilians were all locked tight away in there homes, and tension was as high as she could remember it being in all her years of living there. People were afraid. So was she. Of course being a shinobi meant you took the automatic risk of dying every damn day but it also meant taking the risk of loving people who also could die every damn day. How many times had she thought of Naruto's eyes clouding over never to see the light of day again? Too many to count. She remembered those fears because they were imprinted on her, and had been in every battle when the adrenaline ripped through her and sharpened everything. She remembered every close call, every near death, every time she nearly lost one of her boys. Those times were hard enough but now she had so much more at stake, and so much more to lose. Of course she'd thought of Kakashi dying before, she'd thought of it when she was a genin and watched him fight Zabuza ,and many more times on their journey to find Sasuke. It hit her hard and hurt just as much as her losing Naruto would be but now…now losing him would be so much worse. Could she handle the constant fear?

_You're going have to Haruno. _She told herself, sinking onto a park bench. _Letting him go because of fear and losing him anyway would be twice as bad. You know it. _And she did know it. That didn't make this easier. Seeing Shizune, and knowing what she'd had to face made the possibility of losing Kakashi all the more real. Groaning she raked a hand through her hair and stared at the stars. They didn't have to worry about shit like this. Lucky assholes.

As she contemplated the asshole-ish nature of the stars, a chakra signature appeared at the edge of her senses. Curious she lifted her head and peered down the path. Whoever it was had to be shinobi and a good one with a signature that strong. But not anyone she knew. Curiosity now mingled with suspicion she drew a kunai from her boot and concealed it under her lowered forearm. If it _was _someone she knew they would be none the wiser and if it wasn't they still wouldn't be. They got closer and by now she could hear their footsteps, which were strangely unsteady. Sakura cocked her head and watched down the path as a slim figure came walking unsteadily down the path. Straightening now she looked more closely. No. Absolutely not. Tense form head to toe she stood.

"Halt."

The figure who she could identify as a man now did as she asked but would not lift his head. His gesture irritated her, this stranger had no right to be defiant when she was in control. "Identify yourself."

He did not move. Anger rising in her suddenly she repeated herself. "In the name of the Gondiame show your face!" she snapped, her voice like ice. The man swayed but finally turned his face up, throwing moonlight on his entire figure. She gasped, not able to help herself an nearly dropped her kunai. Nearly. But she was stronger than that now and raised it, ready to throw. "You."

"Good to see you Sakura-chan." Sasuke Uchiha said to her calmly as if he'd never been gone, never turned his back on them, never broken their hearts. She made to throw her weapon, aimed straight for his heart, but that's when she saw the blood blossom on his shirt, and drip out of his open mouth. Watching dazedly Sakura saw her old team member smile cooly and fall to one knee. Swearing as loudly as she could she jammed the kuni back into her belt and ran to him. _I am not weak for this._ She told herself as she eased the Uchiha back onto the dirt and healed his ruptured lung and kidney to a point where he wouldn't die on the way to the hospital. Still conscious he smirked up at her. "I knew you'd be the one I had to find. Always having to take care of people eh Sakura?"

"Fuck off." she spat. "I'm doing this for Konoha. If it was up to me you'd be dead in my arms, but your fate lies with the Hokage." Not waiting for him to respond she placed her chakra laced fingers at the base of his skul and knoked him out, not bothering to be gentle. Tsunade would expect no less. Grimly she picked him up, having to use some chakra to strengthen her hold. He was not as light as he appeared. Whatever he was doing here Tsunade would find out, it was up to her. _ I had no say in this matter. He has information we could use.. Right? No damn it I did the right thing. It's her job to kill him not mine. But still they'll think me weak. _Whatever. She would deal with that when she had to. Holding on to that thought determinedly she raced to the hospital.

_**Felt I should apologize for not continuing this at all but I am glad that I have matured in my writing before deciding to continue. Read and review. (please) **_


	3. Reactions

Under the hospital flourescence, Sasuke's pale skin looked almost translucent. It was almost disturbing to look at, so Sakura turned her head away and stared at the pristine white floor, praying Tsunade would hurry. When she first saw him to just get him to the there had been no room for emotion, her shock had turned into an automatic reaction: get him to the hospital so Tsunade can deal with him. It wasn't her choice to kill him on the spot because she knew for a fact that he had information they needed, maybe even information on the mysterious nin Ira. The Hokage needed him. But now…

The shock of seeing him again was finally setting in, the gravity of it, buffeting her over and over. He came _back. _Why was the first question of course. Whatever possessed him to come back to the village he turned his back on? She had a feeling that whatever it was, it was bad. _Such is my wonderful fucking life. _She thought grimly. The back of her neck was beginning to warm so she dug a hair tie out of her weapon's belt and knotted the thick pink mess into a loose bun, then turned her attention back to Sasuke. She had made sure that he would be out for a few hours at least until awakened by either her or her shishou, but still she had the uncomfortable feeling that he would wake up at any minute and begin to antagonize her. His injuries were extensive but she also had the nasty suspicion that he could injure her pretty well even in his half dead state. If he _did _manage to awake, and tried to hurt her, she wouldn't hesitate to kill him, not that he would expect it.

_He thinks I'm weak too, he always did. Years away from us shouldn't have changed that any. Too bad I cant show him differently…at least, not yet. _The idea of her pummeling him into oblivion was a comforting one and she toyed with it for awhile, until she heard footsteps and felt the chakra of Tsunade approaching. Tsunade looked like she'd just been aroused from bed, her hair was a mess, carelessly thrown into a ponytail leaving wisps falling around her flushed face.

"Sakura you said it was urgent…" Her eyes fell on the hospital bed and her already pale skin whitened another shade. "Holy shit." She whispered. Sakura nodded and leaned back in the chair she was in, stretching out her stiff legs. "My sentiments exactly. He came stumbling through the park on the north side of town, with severe internal bleeding and some broken ribs. I healed him enough that he wouldn't die on the way here, but I left the ribs alone. I figured you'd want him as weak as possible." The Hokage looked to the ceiling, slapping a hand to her forehead. Sakura suspected that she had a pretty bad headache from all the sake she undoubtedly drank. Tsunade cursed then slammed the door shut. They were in a secure area of the hospital used for criminals and elite nin but still, this was a security threat that didn't need to leak out.

"He couldn't have gotten very far with those wounds. He was close when he got injured." Sakura stated, fiddling with the kunai still in her hand. She didn't need it to kill him now, but the comfort of a lethal weapon soothed her battered mind.

Tsunade said nothing to her comment and approached the side of the bed, her gold eyes now sharp like those of the messenger birds she'd just sent out. The young man was breathing shallowly but consistently at least, a quick scan showed his chakra flow wasfull and consistent…and strong. That's how it was with all of the Uchihas she mused, remembering the time she'd examined his father on his way back in from a mission. The man was just an insane ball of chakra, his son it seemed took after him in that department.

"I don't like that he found you Sakura." She said, taking his pulse by grasping his wist in her own. She expected his skin to be cold like the rest of him but it was mildly warm, like a balmy spring night. Sakura watched her closely, not quite sure what she was looking for. Yes she had thought about that too. The odds of him finding her of all people as he returned? There were no odds for that kind of bet. This was planned, and she voiced her suspicion to Tsunade. The blonde finished taking his vitals and stood to face her student, studying the young woman before her with a frown. "Did you plan in advance to go to the park? Did you tell anyone?"

Jade eyes narrowed and darkened and Sakura sat back, leaning as she had been before. "No. It was just a random visit. I like to go there once in a while to clear my head but it's not a regular habit."

"You weren't influenced by a jutsu of some kind?"

"Shishou you insult me." She scoffed, but gave a small smile which Tsunade returned.

"Yes I know but we're eliminating possibilities here."

"No he just…appeared out of nowhere…well I mean he walked he didn't appear but you know what I mean." She put her head in her hands and groaned into the darkness of her palms. "What are you going to do?" She asked.

"This is delicate…and can't be made public yet for obvious reasons. I'm not going to kill him but I don't know if torture is the right route either." An idea was forming in the sannin's mind but she knew for a fact that Sakura and the others involved were not going to like it. At all. In fact she was quite positive they would try to kill her…before they remembered she was the Hokage of course.

"I think you Kakashi and Naruto talking to him would be an excellent idea."

"WHAT?" Sakura stood up fast enough to make the chair she'd been using kiss the floor with a bang. "No! this is why he's alive damn it, because he's your responsibility! If he were mine he'd be a corpse, and this would be a missing nin out of the bingo books! Do you have any idea what Naruto will do to him if he finds him? Or for that matter Kakashi?"

Tsunade threw up her hand to silence the irate kunoichi, it was an old gesture, one Sakura almost didn't feel like obeying, she was that pissed…and if she admitted it, scared. Unaware of Sakura's musings Tsunade continued. "I know that the four of you in a room together is the most dangerous thing in all of the fire country but you are the only thre who won't leak information. Do you know any interrogators that wouldn't shout from the rooftops that Uchiha dropped by?"

Sakura opened her mouth to reply but Tsunade rode over her garbled words effortlessly. "There isn't and you know it. This is astronomical, but you three have it from the inside out and know better than to spew any gossip. And I know Kakashi won't fly off the handle. Uzamaki is another matter entirely but between you and Hatake I trust he won't kill Uchiha. Pump him for whatever he knows, about Ira and anything else he may have come across. You know how to tell if he's lying."

"Oh yeah and what if he does lie? Can I deal with him accordingly?" she snapped, barely making sure her voice was below shrieking level.

"Sakura!" Tsunade yelled, rounding on her former apprentice. Sakura froze, eyes still flickering with rage.

"I'm the Hokage, but I can't handle everything by myself! That's why I have you! The shinobi are my allies, you can't fight me every step of the way! I know how this makes you feel and I know how Naruto will react and I know this is a big gaping wound again and it fucking hurts, but get over it! You are a warrior and that doesn't mean just on the font lines! You fight for me too and don't forget that!"

"Fine. We'll be here tomorrow." Sakura turned on her heal and stormed out the door, slamming it hard enough that the steel frame shook and buckled. She didn't care, she was beyond pissed.

She frightened several young nurses out of her way as she walked down the hall in a haze of anger before remembering not to cause a scene. Low key was the phrase she had to keep in mind although there were several others she felt like keeping a hold of too. Like she didn't know that ninjas did the dirty work in any country, but Tsunade kicked way below the belt. After all he'd done, and after what she, Naruto and Kakashi had been through to try and save him she wanted to throw the for of them in a room together and just see what happened? _Being shinobi means you're the dog to the Hokage. I guess she had to yank the leash back some time. _Sakura thought bitterly as she made her way cooly out of the building, keeping her face professionally blank. _Anything else in the world she asked me to do and I would've done it, but deal with him? Interrogate him? In the same room as Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto? Hell._

She walked around town for awhile, not really seeing where she was going until she stopped in front of the apartment complex. _Kakashi…_

Steeling herself away from thoughts of him and knowing he wouldn't be home at this time of day anyway she turned and blundered into a random shop, trying to outrun where her mind was heading. A bell 'dinged' at the top of the door in the little shop, causing a petit woman reading a magazine to look up. "Can I help you?" she asked, eyeing Sakura wearily.

Sakura didn't grimace at her assesment although she wanted to because that's just how some people handled shinobi. Like outcasts. A quick glance around told Sakura it was a quaint little dress store, full of flowy little sundresses, elegant evening gowns and some shorter, racier things that she would expect to see on Ino. She really could pick the random stores to barge into…

"Umm hi." she said awkwardly moving towards a rack of dresses to her left, "Just browsing."

The woman nodded and went back to her magazine as Sakura passed several dresses through her hands, not really looking at them. What did she need dresses for anyway? Pretty didn't matter in a fight, pretty didn't matter in a life and death situation. Pretty didn't matter when you were a shinobi, she had learned that the hard way. Her mother had raised a shallow little girl, but Sakura had grown out of that and into herself, an independent capable warrior who had been trained under the great sannin Tsunade herself. Vanity hadn't mattered to her in a long time. Her mouth suddenly tasted metallic and dry, and she let go of a finer dress before one of her callouses snagged the almost sheer fabric. "Thanks for your help." Sakura muttered before walking out the door, feeling no better about the whole fucked up situation.

PpPpPpPp

Kakashi lay sprawled on his slouchy old couch, pleasantly exhausted from his training session. His shirt lay thrown over by his TV somewhere while his mask dangled on the tips of his fingers. What a fucking day. A new elite nin out for the Fire Country, fabulous. An elite nin he Sakura and Naruto were going to have to track down and eliminate. Fuck. His headband lay warm over the Sharingan , a contrast to the sharp coolness on his skin. It was night time he wondered if it was worth going to sleep or if he should sneak over to Sakura's.

The thought of her smile or those laughing jade eyes made his stomach tingle like he'd just missed the last step on the way downstairs. She courage that was tempered by her gentle spirit, and a stubborn streak a mile wide. He didn't know which of those tings tripped him up and made him care so deeply for her. No, he thought with a small smile, no one thing could make you love Sakura, it was everything at once. Her brightness, tenacity, and ferocity made for one hell of a woman…

Thoughts of her made him drowsy, even thinking of her was like a drug, slowing him, closing his eyes…

Hearing his door creak open suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he scooped up a kunai from the floor, then proceeded to jump from his laying position on the couch to a crouching one on the coffee table in front of him, and launch the kunai at his intruder. It was an age old reaction, one Sakura obviously expected because she playfully dodged and blocked his projectile with her own knife. The kunai clattered to the floor. Kakashi ran a hand through his raggedy silver hair and relaxed his stance, now appearing to be crouching comfortably. "You shouldn't sneak up on me like that." he said, his heart slowing down beat by beat. She shrugged. "Startle you?"

"Not at all, that's how I greet all my visitors." He said sarcastically, flipping back onto his couch with comfortable ease. He sat, arm spread over the back of the couch while he beckoned her with his free hand. She had to admit that he looked irresistible, laying there like that, his shirtless state showing off that unbelievably muscled torso littered with scars. The curve of his biceps and the little dip where his shoulder met his neck that was perfect for resting her head. What really completed it though was his face, unmasked. She'd seen it before of course but it was just so surreal to see him so comfortable without it. High, defined cheekbones, almost aristocratic nose, full mouth and straight cut jaw line. The messy hair and half scar visible under his skewed headband completed the unbelievably sexy picture he made.

Swallowing the lump in her throat and pushing away all thoughts of seeing Sasuke tomorrow Sakura approached him, sliding with ease down into the shelter he made for her and settling onto his lap. "Missed you." She murmured, tracing patterns over his collar bone. He sighed, her touch was melting the layers of stress right off of him, but something about the way she held herself at that moment made him take pause. Something was wrong.

"Are you okay?"

The question startled her. Was she that obvious? Cautiously she looked up into his visible eye, that was looking probingly into her own. "No. What made you think that?" she lied, hoping he didn't see that as well. "You're tense…like your holding something back."

She said nothing, her heart pounding incriminatingly in her chest.

"Sakura? Something you need to tell me? I'm here.""No." She grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him roughly, preventing him from questioning her further. She couldn't tell him…not yet. He groaned, recognizing where she wanted to go with this and skimmed his hand up her side, the silky curve of her inviting. Sakura didn't know if it was that single touch or her need of him but everything ele happened very fast. The clothes slid off like wter, and the heat gew to a scorching level before he was inside of her, both of them gasping, clinging and biting. She moaned and knotted her hands inhis hair while he gasped in response and took one of her nipples into his mouth, nipping lightly. She hissed and drove herself down onto him harsly before she came. Kakashi groaned and followed her, not bothering to pull out. Medics were their own birth control, if they didn't want a child they made themselves infertile, Sakura had told him not two nights ago.

The pair lay quietly together on the couch, after their quick and frantic pairing neither of them felt words were needed. The fear, and on Sakura's part shock and anger had been resolved when they reached for each other. She shifted and he read her message, picking her up and carrying her the few feet to his bedroom. She sighed in a peaceful way as he lay her down on his bed, planting kisses in maddening places. With him she was home…no meaningless words were needed here…she would tell him in the morning, it could wait. They made love slowly this time, moving into the night on a building cloud of passion and understanding. Some things could wait.

(another page break. This sucks I know but my computer is mean)

_**So yeah a bit shorter this time but I figured I'd move Sasuke's interrogation and that whole mess to the next chapter so this didn't end up being a novella. Review please! I like to know I haven't wasted your time.**_


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